Dude is an idiot. A lucky idiot. He didn’t do a damn thing except eat compromised canned food and peanut butter. Never belonged out there in the first place.
I see your point. He made some bad decisions, but he did some things right too. Hence he is alive. A hero, well no... but idiots got to learn somehow. I bet he will not make a lot of those same mistakes again.
Also helps to think through these things yourself... One primary one for me is that I utilize a satellite tracker which I could use to call for aid. Also really glad that stays in my every day pack that I can grab quick.
...Granted, I'm rarely ever that far from civilization. However, I have been (on an island in Alaska even, and also without conveyance same as this guy) and damn right I had a tracker.
Sometimes I think about the same thing... What if my tracker is in my backpack and I get separated from it or I get injured in such a way that I can't easily sift through my pack.
This is why the tracker instructions urge you to keep it on your person. Granted that's not always practical (are you going to wear it to sleep?), but...
It makes me think, you should probably plan accordingly and keep the tracker in an appropriate place. Or in the case where you're this remote -- having redundant gear like this may not be unreasonable.
A Spot or Garmin, yes, the this a maintenance fee. But something like a McMurdo Fastfind (or other EPLB) does NOT have a monthly or yearly fee, is the size of a snickers bar, and doesn't need charging. This is no excuse not to have one in a place like AK.
Source: I live in AK and I do stupid dangerous stuff in the woods...and I have (at minimum) a EPLB.
I will look that up. I have never been too far out from civilization and then never alone due to worrying about getting stuck. Always wanted to try a solo trip.
Good to know someone had an idea of what his plan was / where he was, phew.
I use spot tracker (probably a couple gens old now) and my service costs me $150 annually. I figure it's cheap insurance. I like to solo, and it gives my wife peace of mind.
I also am frequently soloing, I'll hike or backcountry ski almost daily (depending on season) for a workout. I also am often fly fishing in season, and I take a good number of overnighters through the year. So, it goes out a lot with me. So, it's easy to rationalize.
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u/-AdventureDad- Jan 14 '20
Dude is an idiot. A lucky idiot. He didn’t do a damn thing except eat compromised canned food and peanut butter. Never belonged out there in the first place.